Discussion:
Can't remember author of story, title "Quality"
(too old to reply)
J. Clarke
2008-10-02 06:20:54 UTC
Permalink
Every search I've been able to come up with gives me a huge number of
hits for everything from insurance agencies to manufacturers of horse
blankets, but not the story I'm looking for.

The story title was "Quality". The story was that an extraterrestrial
ambassador, who was more or less a centaur in general conformation,
was to be presented at the Court of Saint James, and, per his people's
custom, needed to be attired in clothing made on the planet he was
visiting. An elderly tailor was approached, with instructions from
the government to create a "horse blanket". He refused, and came up
with something much more suitable, by which action humanity passed a
test.

Does anybody remember the author of that one or the title of the
collection in which it was published?
--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
GSV Three Minds in a Can
2008-10-02 07:13:20 UTC
Permalink
Post by J. Clarke
Every search I've been able to come up with gives me a huge number of
hits for everything from insurance agencies to manufacturers of horse
blankets, but not the story I'm looking for.
The story title was "Quality". The story was that an extraterrestrial
ambassador, who was more or less a centaur in general conformation,
was to be presented at the Court of Saint James, and, per his people's
custom, needed to be attired in clothing made on the planet he was
visiting. An elderly tailor was approached, with instructions from
the government to create a "horse blanket". He refused, and came up
with something much more suitable, by which action humanity passed a
test.
Does anybody remember the author of that one or the title of the
collection in which it was published?
Doesn't seem to exist under just that one word title .... see

http://www.isfdb.org

and search for 'quality'.

I vaguely remember the story, but not the title.
--
GSV Three Minds in a Can
12,737 Km walked. 2,468 Km PROWs surveyed. 44.5% complete.
Dorothy J Heydt
2008-10-02 07:09:17 UTC
Permalink
Post by J. Clarke
Every search I've been able to come up with gives me a huge number of
hits for everything from insurance agencies to manufacturers of horse
blankets, but not the story I'm looking for.
The story title was "Quality". The story was that an extraterrestrial
ambassador, who was more or less a centaur in general conformation,
was to be presented at the Court of Saint James, and, per his people's
custom, needed to be attired in clothing made on the planet he was
visiting. An elderly tailor was approached, with instructions from
the government to create a "horse blanket". He refused, and came up
with something much more suitable, by which action humanity passed a
test.
Does anybody remember the author of that one or the title of the
collection in which it was published?
No. But I can imagine some very spiffy horse barding that would
go excellently with a formal jacket and white tie. Made,
perhaps, of the same fabric as the trousers of bipeds, and fitted
expertly.

Dorothy J. Heydt
Vallejo, California
***@kithrup.com
Dan Goodman
2008-10-02 07:45:43 UTC
Permalink
Post by J. Clarke
Every search I've been able to come up with gives me a huge number of
hits for everything from insurance agencies to manufacturers of horse
blankets, but not the story I'm looking for.
The story title was "Quality".
No, it wasn't. Unless there were _two_ such stories.
Post by J. Clarke
The story was that an
extraterrestrial ambassador, who was more or less a centaur in
general conformation, was to be presented at the Court of Saint
James, and, per his people's custom, needed to be attired in clothing
made on the planet he was visiting. An elderly tailor was
approached, with instructions from the government to create a "horse
blanket". He refused, and came up with something much more suitable,
by which action humanity passed a test.
Does anybody remember the author of that one or the title of the
collection in which it was published?
Title: Custom Fitting
Author: James White
Year: 1976
Type: SHORTFICTION

*Stellar #2, (Feb 1976, Judy-Lynn del Rey, Ballantine, 0-345-24584-9,
$1.50, 209pp, pb, anth) Cover: Tim Hildebrandt and Greg Hildebrandt
*Republic and Empire, (Oct 1987, Jerry Pournelle, John F. Carr, Baen,
0-671-65359-8, $3.95, 399pp, pb, anth) Cover: Alan Gutierrez
*Futures Past, (1988, James White, Orbit, 0-7088-8250-1, £2.50, 228pp,
pb, coll) - [VERIFIED]
*The White Papers, (1996, James White, NESFA, 0-915368-71-4, $25.00,
400pp, coll)
*The Road to Science Fiction 5: The British Way, (Feb 1998, James E.
Gunn, White Wolf, 1-56504-157-7, $14.99, 622pp, tp, anth)
*Emerald Eye: the Best Irish Imaginative Fiction, (Oct 2005, Roelof
Goudriaan, Frank Ludlow, Aeon Press, 0-9534784-4-0, €9.99, 293pp, tp,
anth) Cover: Denise O'Moore
--
--
Dan Goodman
"I have always depended on the kindness of stranglers."
Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Expire
Journal http://dsgood.livejournal.com
Futures http://clerkfuturist.wordpress.com
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Mirror 2 http://dsgood.wordpress.com
Links http://del.icio.us/dsgood
Jack Bohn
2008-10-02 10:08:42 UTC
Permalink
Post by Dan Goodman
Post by J. Clarke
The story was that an
extraterrestrial ambassador, who was more or less a centaur in
general conformation, was to be presented at the Court of Saint
James, and, per his people's custom, needed to be attired in clothing
made on the planet he was visiting. An elderly tailor was
approached, with instructions from the government to create a "horse
blanket". He refused, and came up with something much more suitable,
by which action humanity passed a test.
Title: Custom Fitting
Author: James White
Year: 1976
Type: SHORTFICTION
*Stellar #2, (Feb 1976, Judy-Lynn del Rey, Ballantine, 0-345-24584-9,
$1.50, 209pp, pb, anth) Cover: Tim Hildebrandt and Greg Hildebrandt
That was the image that immediately flashed in *my* mind from the
story description. Unfortunately, that image came from the Carl
Sagan _Cosmos_ book, and no obvious way to follow up on it.
--
-Jack
J. Clarke
2008-10-02 13:00:52 UTC
Permalink
Post by Dan Goodman
Post by J. Clarke
Every search I've been able to come up with gives me a huge number of
hits for everything from insurance agencies to manufacturers of horse
blankets, but not the story I'm looking for.
The story title was "Quality".
No, it wasn't. Unless there were _two_ such stories.
Post by J. Clarke
The story was that an
extraterrestrial ambassador, who was more or less a centaur in
general conformation, was to be presented at the Court of Saint
James, and, per his people's custom, needed to be attired in
clothing
made on the planet he was visiting. An elderly tailor was
approached, with instructions from the government to create a
"horse
blanket". He refused, and came up with something much more
suitable,
by which action humanity passed a test.
Does anybody remember the author of that one or the title of the
collection in which it was published?
Title: Custom Fitting
Author: James White
Year: 1976
Type: SHORTFICTION
*Stellar #2, (Feb 1976, Judy-Lynn del Rey, Ballantine,
0-345-24584-9,
$1.50, 209pp, pb, anth) Cover: Tim Hildebrandt and Greg Hildebrandt
*Republic and Empire, (Oct 1987, Jerry Pournelle, John F. Carr, Baen,
0-671-65359-8, $3.95, 399pp, pb, anth) Cover: Alan Gutierrez
*Futures Past, (1988, James White, Orbit, 0-7088-8250-1, £2.50, 228pp,
pb, coll) - [VERIFIED]
*The White Papers, (1996, James White, NESFA, 0-915368-71-4, $25.00,
400pp, coll)
*The Road to Science Fiction 5: The British Way, (Feb 1998, James E.
Gunn, White Wolf, 1-56504-157-7, $14.99, 622pp, tp, anth)
*Emerald Eye: the Best Irish Imaginative Fiction, (Oct 2005, Roelof
Goudriaan, Frank Ludlow, Aeon Press, 0-9534784-4-0, ?9.99, 293pp,
tp,
anth) Cover: Denise O'Moore
That appears to be it, thank you. Now I find myself wondering what
"Quality" was about.

--
--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
Dorothy J Heydt
2008-10-02 14:19:26 UTC
Permalink
Post by J. Clarke
Post by Dan Goodman
Title: Custom Fitting
Author: James White
Year: 1976
Type: SHORTFICTION
That appears to be it, thank you. Now I find myself wondering what
"Quality" was about.
As mentioned upthread, there is no short story listen on ISFDB by
that exact title.

Dorothy J. Heydt
Vallejo, California
***@kithrup.com
Ahasuerus
2008-10-02 14:45:09 UTC
Permalink
Post by Dorothy J Heydt
Post by J. Clarke
Post by Dan Goodman
Title: Custom Fitting
Author: James White
Year: 1976
Type: SHORTFICTION
That appears to be it, thank you. Now I find myself wondering what
"Quality" was about.
As mentioned upthread, there is no short story listen on ISFDB by
that exact title.
Nothing in Contento (http://www.philsp.com/homeville/ISFAC/l85.htm) or
the main Locus Index (http://www.locusmag.com/index/l332.htm) either.
Jaimie Vandenbergh
2008-10-02 13:37:42 UTC
Permalink
Post by Dan Goodman
Post by J. Clarke
The story was that an
extraterrestrial ambassador, who was more or less a centaur in
general conformation, was to be presented at the Court of Saint
James, and, per his people's custom, needed to be attired in clothing
made on the planet he was visiting. An elderly tailor was
approached, with instructions from the government to create a "horse
blanket". He refused, and came up with something much more suitable,
by which action humanity passed a test.
Does anybody remember the author of that one or the title of the
collection in which it was published?
Title: Custom Fitting
Author: James White
I've never heard of this story, but reading the description it struck
me as quite a James White sort of idea. Splendid!

Cheers - Jaimie (Or Eric Frank Russell)
--
"Oh drat these computers, they're so naughty and so complex."
-- Marvin the Martian
Robert Sneddon
2008-10-02 23:33:43 UTC
Permalink
Post by Jaimie Vandenbergh
Post by Dan Goodman
Title: Custom Fitting
Author: James White
This story appears in the "The White Papers", published by NESFA Press
for the 1996 Worldcon where he was Guest of Honor.
Post by Jaimie Vandenbergh
I've never heard of this story, but reading the description it struck
me as quite a James White sort of idea. Splendid!
James' day job was tailoring, before he went full-time as an SF author.
--
To reply, my gmail address is nojay1 Robert Sneddon
Gerry Quinn
2008-11-09 17:47:13 UTC
Permalink
In article <***@news3.newsguy.com>, ***@cox.net
says...
Post by J. Clarke
Every search I've been able to come up with gives me a huge number of
hits for everything from insurance agencies to manufacturers of horse
blankets, but not the story I'm looking for.
The story title was "Quality". The story was that an extraterrestrial
ambassador, who was more or less a centaur in general conformation,
was to be presented at the Court of Saint James, and, per his people's
custom, needed to be attired in clothing made on the planet he was
visiting. An elderly tailor was approached, with instructions from
the government to create a "horse blanket". He refused, and came up
with something much more suitable, by which action humanity passed a
test.
Nobody asked the diplomatic staff to check out what these aliens
normally wore and make an Earth equivalent?

- Gerry Quinn
Drak Bibliophile
2008-11-09 18:27:30 UTC
Permalink
Post by Gerry Quinn
says...
Post by J. Clarke
Every search I've been able to come up with gives me a huge number of
hits for everything from insurance agencies to manufacturers of horse
blankets, but not the story I'm looking for.
The story title was "Quality". The story was that an extraterrestrial
ambassador, who was more or less a centaur in general conformation,
was to be presented at the Court of Saint James, and, per his people's
custom, needed to be attired in clothing made on the planet he was
visiting. An elderly tailor was approached, with instructions from
the government to create a "horse blanket". He refused, and came up
with something much more suitable, by which action humanity passed a
test.
Nobody asked the diplomatic staff to check out what these aliens
normally wore and make an Earth equivalent?
- Gerry Quinn
The alien custom was to wear clothing appropriate for the world they were
visiting.

By the way, I believe the story is "Custom Fitting" by James White.

Check here: http://www.sectorgeneral.com/shortstories.html
--
Paul Howard (Alias Drak Bibliophile), AIM id DrakeBookLover
*
Sometimes The Dragon Wins! [Polite Dragon Smile]
*
Kurt Busiek
2008-11-09 18:33:59 UTC
Permalink
On 2008-11-09 10:27:30 -0800, "Drak Bibliophile"
Post by Drak Bibliophile
Post by Gerry Quinn
says...
Post by J. Clarke
Every search I've been able to come up with gives me a huge number of
hits for everything from insurance agencies to manufacturers of horse
blankets, but not the story I'm looking for.
The story title was "Quality". The story was that an extraterrestrial
ambassador, who was more or less a centaur in general conformation,
was to be presented at the Court of Saint James, and, per his people's
custom, needed to be attired in clothing made on the planet he was
visiting. An elderly tailor was approached, with instructions from
the government to create a "horse blanket". He refused, and came up
with something much more suitable, by which action humanity passed a
test.
Nobody asked the diplomatic staff to check out what these aliens
normally wore and make an Earth equivalent?
- Gerry Quinn
The alien custom was to wear clothing appropriate for the world they were
visiting.
By the way, I believe the story is "Custom Fitting" by James White.
Check here: http://www.sectorgeneral.com/shortstories.html
Given the cover of the book it first appeared in:

Loading Image...

...I'd hazard a guess that you're right.

kdb
Drak Bibliophile
2008-11-09 18:37:42 UTC
Permalink
Post by Kurt Busiek
On 2008-11-09 10:27:30 -0800, "Drak Bibliophile"
Post by Drak Bibliophile
Post by Gerry Quinn
says...
Post by J. Clarke
Every search I've been able to come up with gives me a huge number of
hits for everything from insurance agencies to manufacturers of horse
blankets, but not the story I'm looking for.
The story title was "Quality". The story was that an extraterrestrial
ambassador, who was more or less a centaur in general conformation,
was to be presented at the Court of Saint James, and, per his people's
custom, needed to be attired in clothing made on the planet he was
visiting. An elderly tailor was approached, with instructions from
the government to create a "horse blanket". He refused, and came up
with something much more suitable, by which action humanity passed a
test.
Nobody asked the diplomatic staff to check out what these aliens
normally wore and make an Earth equivalent?
- Gerry Quinn
The alien custom was to wear clothing appropriate for the world they were
visiting.
By the way, I believe the story is "Custom Fitting" by James White.
Check here: http://www.sectorgeneral.com/shortstories.html
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51FLVnYi%2BWL.jpg
...I'd hazard a guess that you're right.
kdb
I remembered the story and that cover. Wasn't sure of title but for some
reason thought of James White.
--
Paul Howard (Alias Drak Bibliophile), AIM id DrakeBookLover
*
Sometimes The Dragon Wins! [Polite Dragon Smile]
*
Bill Swears
2008-11-09 23:01:35 UTC
Permalink
Post by Kurt Busiek
On 2008-11-09 10:27:30 -0800, "Drak Bibliophile"
Post by Drak Bibliophile
Post by Gerry Quinn
says...
Post by J. Clarke
Every search I've been able to come up with gives me a huge number of
hits for everything from insurance agencies to manufacturers of horse
blankets, but not the story I'm looking for.
The story title was "Quality". The story was that an extraterrestrial
ambassador, who was more or less a centaur in general conformation,
was to be presented at the Court of Saint James, and, per his people's
custom, needed to be attired in clothing made on the planet he was
visiting. An elderly tailor was approached, with instructions from
the government to create a "horse blanket". He refused, and came up
with something much more suitable, by which action humanity passed a
test.
Nobody asked the diplomatic staff to check out what these aliens
normally wore and make an Earth equivalent?
- Gerry Quinn
The alien custom was to wear clothing appropriate for the world they were
visiting.
By the way, I believe the story is "Custom Fitting" by James White.
Check here: http://www.sectorgeneral.com/shortstories.html
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51FLVnYi%2BWL.jpg
...I'd hazard a guess that you're right.
Custom Fitting is somewhat available:

Product Details

* ISBN: 0915368714
* ISBN-13: 9780915368716
* Format: Hardcover, 400pp
* Publisher: New England Science Fiction Association, Incorporated
* Pub. Date: September 1996
* Edition Description: 1 ED

I found it as a used book on B&N.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/White-Papers/James-White/e/9780915368716/?itm=9

Bill
--
rec.arts.sf.composition is a USENET group, and can be accessed for free.
If you are paying for anything beyond your internet access to read these
messages, there is a free service available.
Dorothy J Heydt
2008-11-09 21:12:15 UTC
Permalink
Post by Drak Bibliophile
Post by Gerry Quinn
says...
Post by J. Clarke
Every search I've been able to come up with gives me a huge number of
hits for everything from insurance agencies to manufacturers of horse
blankets, but not the story I'm looking for.
The story title was "Quality". The story was that an extraterrestrial
ambassador, who was more or less a centaur in general conformation,
was to be presented at the Court of Saint James, and, per his people's
custom, needed to be attired in clothing made on the planet he was
visiting. An elderly tailor was approached, with instructions from
the government to create a "horse blanket". He refused, and came up
with something much more suitable, by which action humanity passed a
test.
Nobody asked the diplomatic staff to check out what these aliens
normally wore and make an Earth equivalent?
The alien custom was to wear clothing appropriate for the world they were
visiting.
Cf. Goldin and wossname, _Jade Darcy and the Zen Pirates._ Two
humans are visiting an alien planet, normally *very* hard for
non-natives to get at, for an important festival which involves
dozens of costume changes, and among other things one's clothes
proclaim one's rank. The humans solve the problem by wearing
human-fitted clothes, very elaborate, in snazzy fabrics, suitable
for the festivities but still fitting humans.
Dorothy J. Heydt
Vallejo, California
***@kithrup.com
Joyce Haslam
2008-11-09 19:35:34 UTC
Permalink
Post by Gerry Quinn
Post by J. Clarke
The story title was "Quality". The story was that an
extraterrestrial ambassador, who was more or less a centaur in
general conformation, was to be presented at the Court of
Saint James, and, per his people's custom, needed to be
attired in clothing made on the planet he was visiting. An
elderly tailor was approached, with instructions from the
government to create a "horse blanket". He refused, and came
up with something much more suitable, by which action humanity
passed a test.
Nobody asked the diplomatic staff to check out what these aliens
normally wore and make an Earth equivalent?
IIRC The aliens believed that they should let the people they were
meeting clothe them appropriately, so (your idea wasn't mentioned)
there would have been no guidance.

Wonderful story by an author I love.

Joyce.
--
"The spear in the Other's heart is in your own: you are he." -- Surak
Gerry Quinn
2008-11-17 05:16:54 UTC
Permalink
Post by Joyce Haslam
Post by Gerry Quinn
Post by J. Clarke
The story title was "Quality". The story was that an
extraterrestrial ambassador, who was more or less a centaur in
general conformation, was to be presented at the Court of
Saint James, and, per his people's custom, needed to be
attired in clothing made on the planet he was visiting. An
elderly tailor was approached, with instructions from the
government to create a "horse blanket". He refused, and came
up with something much more suitable, by which action humanity
passed a test.
Nobody asked the diplomatic staff to check out what these aliens
normally wore and make an Earth equivalent?
IIRC The aliens believed that they should let the people they were
meeting clothe them appropriately, so (your idea wasn't mentioned)
there would have been no guidance.
Wonderful story by an author I love.
I haven't read it, so perhaps I'm being unfair, but it sounds to me like
moralistic bludgeoning. The government would not have asked for a
"horse blanket", they would have pulled out all the stops to try to
figure out what the aliens would want.

- Gerry Quinn
Brian M. Scott
2008-11-17 06:34:04 UTC
Permalink
On Mon, 17 Nov 2008 05:16:54 -0000, Gerry Quinn
<***@indigo.ie> wrote in
<news:***@news.indigo.ie> in
rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc:

[...]

[White's 'Custom Fitting']
Post by Gerry Quinn
I haven't read it, so perhaps I'm being unfair, but it
sounds to me like moralistic bludgeoning.
You have indeed not read it.

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